The Russian has made an instant impact ever since arriving at Fulham in January.

"My dream has always been to play in the Premier League," he told sports.ru.

"At the end of the 90s I liked watching English football very much so I wanted to sign in England but I didn't think it would happen so late. But now I'm here and I'm happy about it.

"The first time I watched English football (live) was in 2001 or 2002. I decided to go to a Premier League game (with a friend).

"We were both Manchester United fans and our favourite players - Giggs, Scholes, Beckham - were running around. That's why I always try to get the No 7 shirt.

"It was impossible to get a ticket to the games of Manchester United so we went to a Chelsea-Newcastle game. Without (Roman) Abramovich and the star players Chelsea weren't such a big team as they are now."